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Survey: iPad demand stronger now than before launch

By Charles Starrett ● Thursday, May 20, 2010

According to the results of the latest ChangeWave survey, consumer demand for the iPad has risen since the device’s launch. According to the company’s May survey of 3,174 consumers, 7% of respondents said they were very likely to buy the iPad, while another 13% said they were somewhat likely. These numbers compare favorably to February’s pre-launch survey, which found 4% of respondents very likely to purchase and 9% somewhat likely to buy an iPad. Among the 245 respondents who said they own an eBook reader, 16% said they owned an iPad, which was second only to the 62% who said they owned an Amazon Kindle. The survey also iPad owners more likely to read newspapers and magazines on the device than owners of competing eBook readers, with 50% saying they read newspapers and 38% who read magazines on their iPads, compared with just 14% and 11%, respectively, for owners of other eBook readers.

Among the 153 iPad owners surveyed, a vast majority said they were satisfied with the device. 74% said they were very satisfied, followed by another 17% who said they were somewhat satisfied. One percent each said they were either somewhat or very unsatisfied, while 8% said they didn’t know. When asked what they liked best about their iPads, 21% of owners said the quality and size of the screen, followed by 15% who cited ease of use, 12% who liked the overall size and weight the best, and 10% who most liked the device’s portability. When asked to name dislikes, the iPad’s lack of Flash was tops with 11% of responses, followed by 9% each citing Internet connectivity issues and the need to constantly wipe the screen. Finally, when asked to pick the five things they use the iPad for the most, 83% of respondents said surfing the Internet, followed by 71% who said checking their email, and 56% who said they used apps from the App Store.